CVE-2023-32191: rke's credentials are stored in the RKE1 Cluster state ConfigMap

Should you act?

Critical, preconditions apply

Severe if exploited, but exploitation needs conditions that may not apply to you. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
• EPSS 0.7%, percentile 51: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.7% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 51% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Needs an account (low (any account)). Exposure depends on who can log in.
• Only applies if your dependency tree includes github.com/rancher/rke (Go) >= 1.4.18, < 1.4.19, fixed in 1.4.19; github.com/rancher/rke (Go) >= 1.5.9, < 1.5.10, fixed in 1.5.10. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

When RKE provisions a cluster, it stores the cluster state in a configmap called full-cluster-state inside the kube-system namespace of the cluster itself. The information available in there allows non-admin users to escalate to admin.

From the GitHub advisory

Impact

When RKE provisions a cluster, it stores the cluster state in a configmap called full-cluster-state inside the kube-system namespace of the cluster itself. This cluster state object contains information used to set up the K8s cluster, which may include the following sensitive data:

- RancherKubernetesEngineConfig - RKENodeConfig - SSH username - SSH private key - SSH private key path - RKEConfigServices - ETCDService - External client key - BackupConfig - S3BackupConfig - AWS access key - AWS secret key - KubeAPIService - SecretsEncryptionConfig - K8s encryption configuration (contains encryption keys) - PrivateRegistries - User - Password - ECRCredentialPlugin - AWS access key - AWS secret key - AWS session token - CloudProvider - AzureCloudProvider - AAD client ID - AAD client secret - AAD client cert password - OpenstackCloudProvider - Username - User ID - Password - VsphereCloudProvider - GlobalVsphereOpts - User - Password - VirtualCenterConfig - User - Password - HarvesterCloudProvider - CloudConfig - CustomCloudProvider - BastionHost - User - SSH key - CertificatesBundle - Private key - EncryptionConfig - Private key

The State type that contains the above info and more can viewed here.

While the full-cluster-state configmap is not publicly available (reading it requires access to the RKE cluster), it being a configmap makes it available to non-administrators of the cluster. Because this configmap contains essentially all the information and credentials required to administer the cluster, anyone with permission to read it thereby achieves admin-level access to the cluster (please consult the MITRE ATT&CK - Technique - Unsecured Credentials : Credentials In Files for further information about the associated technique of attack).

Weakness type: CWE-922.

Product: github.com/rancher/rke (Go) · Assigned by: suse · Published: 2024-10-16

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Privileges required: low (any account)
• User interaction: none
• Scope: changed (can affect other components)

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.66% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 51.

Timeline

• 2024-06-17 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-6gr4-52w6-vmqx published (critical)
• 2024-10-16 — CVE record last updated
• 2024-10-16 — CVE record published by suse

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vulnerability records

1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-6gr4-52w6-vmqx github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2023-32191 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2023-32191 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. bugzilla.suse.com bugzilla.suse.com
2. github.com github.com
3. github.com github.com
4. github.com github.com

Critical Go advisories · Today’s Security Digest